Liverpool found their stride at Anfield last night as Arsenal found the limits of their recent resurgence.
Mikel Arteta’s revival of this team after a historically bad start to the season has been genuinely impressive with eight wins and two draws in the last ten games. Yet it didn’t survive a forensic examination from a Liverpool team with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah and Diogo Jota all their best.
To be fair, few teams would. But Arteta made it easier, with his desire to be on the front foot, seemingly daring Liverpool to sweep him aside by persisting with Pierre Emerick-Aubemeyang and Alex Lacazette up front with Emile Smith Rowe and Buyako Saka pushing up wide.
Liverpool duly obliged. Frustrated for long periods by a heroic Aaron Ramsdale, when they eventually breached Arsenal, they flooded through them, an unstoppable force in the second half.
Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga were ultimately run ragged in midfield but even their afternoon wasn’t as traumatic as it was for Nuno Tavares, asked to deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah, perhaps the best right wing attacking combination in world football. With Smith Rowe nominally in front of him, who isn’t a natural defender, it was an impossible job.
By the end, Liverpool were so comfortable it was hard to believe Arsenal had come into this game intent on overtaking their opponents in the table. Arsenal might be able to set up with attacking ambition and style against most teams. Against Liverpool, it really is inadvisable.
Aaron Ramsdale is that rare breed, a goalkeeper who can seemingly dominate an entire game with his personality without leaving his six-yard box. A lively opening exchange, with Liverpool largely dominant, exploded into life with another bravura Ramsdale performance, which seem to enthuse the entire Arsenal team amidst an extraordinary touchline spat between Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp.
The Ramsdale contribution was another series of superb saves. The very fact that he had to be so good indicated that Arsenal were under siege. Yet, because of his unique charisma, he makes every save seem like not just a personal victory but a rallying call to enthuse the entire team.
With every seemingly more implausible rescue, his teammates gather round him to celebrate with him and he infuses them with hope, like the last man standing inspiring his fellow warriors.
‘Come on’ he yelled after tipping one Trent Alexander-Arnold shot over the bar. His tour de force came on 29 minutes an Alexander-Arnold cross finding Thiago, whose volley was parried away.
Only to Sadio Mane, who looked poised to put in the rebound before Ramsdale sprung up to push his shot away for a corner. Cue groups hugs and all-round congratulation. The Arsenal fans behind him loved it and roared approval.
Another genius piece of improvisation came on 36 minutes. Having initially parried a Mo Salah strike, Arsenal were at the mercy of the Egyptian, the goal begging to be scored until Ramsdale recovered and flung out a hand to tip the ball away from Salah’s feet.
In between all that came the most animated touchline row in the Premier League since Jose Mourinho versus Arsene Wenger in 2014. Arteta started it, furious at Mane’s challenge on Takehiro Tomiyasu. Klopp responded, charging towards him looking for all the world he was ready to settle this here and now.
Arteta didn’t back down, fronting up, screaming, by now being hauled back by backroom staff as he gesticulated wildly. Naturally, all this only stirred Anfield all the more.
And Arsenal’s defiance couldn’t hold amidst the tumult. On 39 minutes, an Alexander-Arnold free kick found the space between Gabriel and Tomiyasu with Mane advancing into it. Stooping, he headed the ball firmly downwards to bounce over Ramsdale’s arm, who was naturally furious, taking the breach of his goal as a personal affront to his honour.
Arsenal are undoubtedly braver than they were previously but they remain authors of their own misfortune. Nuno Tavares had already endured a hard evening’s work trying to double mark, Salah and Alexander-Arnold. The pressure told.
On 52 minutes, striding confidently out of defence, he played a cross-field pass directly into the path of Diogo Jota. He gleefully danced towards goal, aided by Ben White’s panicky challenge, diving in, which he skipped past, before dummying Ramsdale to score.
Two-nil down, it seemed ambitious to expect anything approaching a comeback from Arsenal. Liverpool were firmly in their stride by now. Their degree of comfort was indicated in their third and fourth goals.
The third, from Salah on 73 minutes, was started by Alisson clipping a ball to Konstantinos Tsimikas at left back who in turn nudged it forwards to Jota, whose header played in Mane sprinting down the right. They had played through Arsenal’s midfield in under two seconds and were in on goal, before Mane crossed for Salah to finish.
Klopp immediately brought on Jordan Henderson and Takumi Minamino, the game won and Porto to play in midweek. And within sixty seconds the subs had made their mark, Henderson winning the ball in midfield and chipping it in to Mane, who dummied his defender, spun and played in Alexander-Arnold, whose cross was gratefully received by Minamino at the far post, touching it in.
Again, in a couple of of seconds and Arsenal were cut apart.
